Time To Time
by firekid44
Summary: A story set in multiple time periods. Silas and Thimba join four immortals for a war against Death. But how is this connected to the monks at the Xiaolin Temple, thousands of years in the future? Only Time will tell.
1. Prologue

Theo: Cool, new story.

Joe: I'm not in it yet.

Theo: No-one's in it yet! It's a prologue. Firekid's really into those these days.

Silas: I'll be in it first.

Joe: Oh great, the new muse.

Silas: Maybe he got tired of you.

Joe: Tired of me? I'm his longest running muse! I've been in almost every story he's ever written!

Silas: Yeah, but what do you actually do?

Joe: Well, I... what about Theo?

Theo: Technical support.

Joe: Well what do you do?

Silas: I sort his reviews!

Joe: Oh... right...

Theo: He's probably going to get rid of you if you don't do something.

Joe: Crap! (runs out)

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Since the time of the four immortals, there have been Xiaolin Warriors. From that time, long ago, when man was struggling out of the ground, there were wars. Great wars, between good and evil. Xiaolin and Heylin.

And the wars continued, and through Roman, Greek, Egyptian and Aztec times, they went on. Through World War One and Two, they went on. Through the Great World Empires, they went on. Always two sides. Always Xiaolin. Always Heylin.

2006. A fight, longer than any other. More destructive than any other. More devastating than any other.

But still, it was not the end. The wars went on, far into the future. From the Dawn of Man to the End of Time…

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Me: Hi! This is Silas, my newest muse. Where's Joe?

Theo: Trying to find something to do to help you.

Me: Well, what do you two do?

Theo: Technical support.

Silas: I sort your reviews!

Me: So you're like Colza is to UXD. Cool.

Theo: This is gonna be a good story, people.

Silas: So R&R!


	2. The Beast Attacks

Theo: And here we go with the first chapter!

Silas: Featuring me!

Thimba: Hey! Can I be a muse?

Me: No. Sorry, but three is enough.

Joe: Hey Silas, shouldn't you be sorting reviews?

Silas: Yep. We got two reviews for the last chapter. Both spiringfairy and krystalmaze think it could have been longer.

Theo: By the way Joe, did you ever get a job?

Joe: Na. I'm just going to refuse to move.

Me: Anyway, on with the story.

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"There! In those bushes!" I turned, looking for the revealing flash of gold. My eyes locked on to it. I slid from a sitting position on the branch and landed lightly on the ground. I grinned over at his friend, Thimba. We had been out for almost an hour, tracking this lion. Suddenly, I heard a twig crack behind him. Of course! The lions pack! I spun around, and raised my spear as something came out of the trees. Or rather, _through_ the trees. I gasped. It was massive, and a dull grey – almost looking like it was made of stone. A red glow came from its eyes.

"Silas!" Someone shouted my name. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daemyn run out from behind me. He threw his spear, its point sharp. It hit its mark perfectly, straight into the creature's eye. Blood poured, forming almost a pool on the ground. But then it moved, mutating into a new creature, blood red in colour. It opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth. Wings sprang up from behind its back. I was frozen in terror. The beast removed the spear from its eye and hurled it back at Daemyn. The boy tried to run, but the spear shot through him, embedding itself in a tree. He sank to his knees and fell forward. Dead. The red creature seemed delighted, and flew forward. It reached Daemyn's side. It opened its mouth. And it devoured him.

I turned and ran, the sounds of flesh tearing growing fainter behind me. I remember nothing more for that time, just running. Running, trying to outrun the memory.

After a very long time, I stopped, out of breath. I heard a rustling, and Thimba ran into the clearing.

"Wha… what was that?" he gasped. I shrugged. Then we both turned. I heard a sound. A regular _thump_, like a heartbeat. Then a screech. The screech I heard as I ran away. The screech of the creature. Almost instantly, it flew overhead, a red dot in the blue sky. The _thump_ grew louder, and a tree came crashing down. I jumped back, and it landed where I had stood a second ago. The beast had arrived. It walked slowly towards us, its huge mouth creased into a smile. I stepped back, tripping over a branch. It stood over me. Raised its hand…

A shout came from behind it. I rolled over before it remembered me and saw Manas, the leader of a local tribe, standing there. He shouted again and three other's walked out from behind him, other tribe leaders. Kasim. Nalina. Brisa. None of them were armed. The beast stood, watching them. But the red creature swooped down, screeching. Claws ready to rip them apart.

Manas moved suddenly, jumping to the right. The creature flew past. He raised a hand, palm facing up, and a rock rose out of the ground. The creature crumpled and hit the ground. Then Kasim turned. He raised a hand too, and it glowed bright. Like fire. No, not like fire – his hand was on fire! I scrambled to my feet, ready to help. He drew his hand forward, as through throwing a rock. A ball of fire flew forward, and hit the creature. It began to burn, and screeched. Tried to stand. Tried to fly. And gradually, as it flapped into the sky, it exploded. Blood rained down on us.

The beast finally moved, but Nalina and Brisa stood between it and me. Nalina raised her hand, and I was not too surprised when a stream of water broke through the earth, sending the beast into the sky. Brisa moved a hand, a sweeping motion from left to right, then back again, and gusts of wind, following her pattern, smashed the beast to pieces. The water stopped and a small red object fell to the ground, shattering as it connected.

"The brain is destroyed then," said Manas, looking at the remains, slowly fading. He walked over to me in a few strides, and helped me to my feet. "Are you okay?" I looked at myself. I was covered in dust, and my feet were wet from the chase, but apart from that…

"I'm fine."

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Me: That's Chapter 1 then.

Theo: We have six new hero's...

Silas: ...two villains...

Joe: ...and an absence of the greatest character ever - me.

Me: So R&R please.


	3. The Legacy of Death

Chapter two, please review!

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"Okay," I sighed. It was half an hour since the beast had attacked, and Manas had taken us to his cave, where Brisa and Nalina made stew. Meanwhile, Manas and Kasim told us about themselves.

"Okay," I said again. "So you're telling me you four are immortals, and you're fighting against some evil power who created those creatures?" Manas nodded.

"And me and Thimba will have those powers you used too?"

"With training." I looked over at Thimba. He was taking it all in. Believing it.

"I must be going crazy!" I shouted suddenly, jumping up. "How can I accept this? It's against nature!"

"Do you need more proof?" asked Manas. Without waiting for an answer, he pointed at the wall, and a rounded ledge grew out of it. Nalina clicked her fingers without looking around and water poured out of the wall, filling the ledge.

"Drink it," said Manas. "Pure water." I reached out nervously. But he was right – the water was pure. It was real.

"Tell me again."

"We four are immortals. We each have a power, to control an element. Earth…" He pointed to himself.

"…wind…" He pointed to Brisa.

"…fire…" He pointed to Kasim.

"…and water." He pointed to Nalina. "As I said, we are immortals. We can only be killed by another immortal. And there is another, our enemy. He has no name. But he's known as Death." I could swear a chill passed through the room then.

"He has the powers of darkness, of shape shifting, of telekinetics… he goes against all that is good. He feeds of pain, death and destruction. He has armies of darkness. The creatures you saw, and more. He is more powerful than any of us. So we need more help. The chosen few. You and Thimba. Two more warriors."

"What powers do we have?" asked Thimba, grinning slightly. He was obviously excited.

"As of yet, we do not know. But it is likely one of you is a healer."

"A healer? That's not a power!" snorted Thimba. Kasim shook his head.

"No, you're wrong. It's the most useful power anyone could have! Imagine a battle. Blood everywhere. Men, dying, in pain. Feeding Death. Now imagine you are there. You are a healer. You kneel down. The man is close to death, his soul ready to leave. You put your hands on his wound. _And you heal it!_ You move on to the next, and heal him, yanking entire armies from the brink of death! Any of us could be that soldier when we fight Death, and if one of you is a healer, you could save our lives. Help destroy Death."

"And you have no idea of any other powers we might have?" I asked. Manas shook his head. I sighed. I may be a healer, or… something else. Who knows what.

Almost a year had passed before we noticed anything. Once again, me and Thimba were out hunting, this time after a deer. I took careful aim and threw my spear. It skimmed over the deer's back, striking a line of blood. Unfortunately, Thimba was on the other side. Before I had time to shout, the spear had hit him. Luckily, it was the leg, not the chest, but he was in agony. He clutched at it, rolling over in pain. The deer had fled. I ran over, knelt down beside him. I pulled the bloodied spear out, surprisingly with no resistance. His leg was slightly red from the blood. But, after a careful examination, I realized there was no wound.

"Does it hurt?" I asked. He shook his head.

"It stopped hurting when I grabbed it. Just before you came over." I stood up and looked around in confusion. Then I remembered what Manas had said. '_…it is likely one of you is a healer…_'.

"Come on!" I said, grabbing his arm and yanking him to his feet. He opened his mouth to protest, but I was already dragging him out of the forest. Towards Manas's cave.

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And we leave the Prehistoric age now for the net chapter! R&R!


	4. Fiery Storm

This is main character number 2. Enjoy.

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It had been a hard day. Mum had been depressed since Theo left, and so I was left with the housework. On top of that, I'd been off for a week, and had lots of French homework to do.

"Est-ce qu'il a dans un grand ville…" I muttered, reading off the sheet. I was interrupted by a loud banging. I groaned, and stood up. The banging came again, even louder.

"Okay, I'm coming!" I shouted, running towards the front door. I swung it open. An old man stood in front of me.

"Excuse me…" I looked at him, trying to find a hint of why he was here. After a moment I realised I wasn't actually listening. I looked back at him. He was watching me, expectantly.

"Hey! Answer his question, kid!" I jerked around, looking for the source of the voice. A small green figure looked over the man's shoulder. I jumped.

"What the hell are you?" I asked, looking at it. It grinned triumphantly.

"I am a dragon." I could have almost laughed. A dragon and an old man had knocked on my front door while I was doing French homework.

"Sorry… what was the question?"

"You have a unique power. Will you come to the Xiaolin Temple? Become a Xiaolin Dragon? Train for the day when evil will rise again?"

"Evil… what, like Hitler?"

"Who says only humans can be evil?" said the dragon smugly. He was really beginning to tick me off.

"Look, if this is a joke…"

"Joe. This is not a joke."

"Oh, right, how can you… how did you know my name?"

"I knew your father once, long ago. A good man. Look around, you may find my name. Master Fung. If you change your mind, call this number." He handed me a piece of paper and walked away. I shut the door behind me.

A couple of weeks after Master Fung had come, as the school holidays had started, something happened. Something bad. Something that made me go to the temple.

It was just gone eleven. My mum and dad were in bed. I was pacing the front garden. Then it happened. At first, just a rumble, then an explosion. It looked up at my house. I'd lived in it since I was three. And now, it was a raging ball of fire. Flames licked up the walls, some spreading along the grass.

"Mum! Dad!" I tried to run forward, but the heat was too great. I was backed onto the road. The hedge separating my house from the road was snatched by the fire. I stood, mesmerised, wanting to run in, wanting to run away, unable to do either. Then, after what seemed an eternity, it began to rain. Water washed away the flames. Washed away all traces of my life. I could almost see a tall black figure slipping away, but that was impossible.

"That was some fire." I spun around, my hands held up defensively. Theo was standing behind me. Leaning against a wall. As I turned, he jumped backwards, and balanced on the crumbling wall.

"Why are you out here?" he asked.

"Just trying to clear my head. You?"

"I was in the area. Saw the fire. Came to investigate." He hopped down and walked towards me.

"Quite suspicious, don't you think? You, standing in front of a burning house, making no move to stop it. Maybe I should report you…"

"Mum and dad were in there." He paused, one hand in his pocket.

"Murder too?" He pulled out his phone and pressed it three times. 999.

"Hello, police?" I glared at him as he framed me for murder. As if I'd do it. I felt my anger boiling up inside me. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to reach out and crush him. Send a bolt of lightning…

Suddenly, as if some greater power had been watching, a single bolt of lightning shot down, hitting the mobile, blowing it up. Theo was blown back against the wall. I looked at my hands in amazement.

"Oh, you're asking for it, Joe!" he shouted, and pulled something out of his belt. He flicked his wrist, sending a small silver star flying towards me. I dived to the side, narrowly avoiding it. The sound of sirens filled the air. Down the road I could see lights. The police. Theo glared at me before sinking into the ground. Disappearing. A car drew up, and two men got out. Then more.

"Did you call us?" asked one of them, looking at me. I nodded. Luckily, they didn't have a description if me, so they ignored me and started studying the remains of the house. I ran.

I had found my power.

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R&R!


	5. All Aboard

One main character + two girls + two boys + one dragon...

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As soon as I was sure the police weren't following, I found a phone booth. Luckily, I had some money with me, and rang the number Master Fung had given me.

"_Hello_" the voice croaked. It wasn't either of the two I'd met.

"Yeah, hello. Master Fung told me to call…"

"_Fung? Oh, right. What's yer name?_"

"Joe. Joe Thunder."

"_Right, where are ya?_"

"I'm in Croydon, near…"

"_Na, country!_"

"Oh. England."

"'_Kay. Get yerself to Gatwick Airport and ring again. I'll get Dojo down to meet ya._" I heard a click as he hung up.

'Gatwick? How'll I get there?' I wondered. I wandered through the streets, waiting for the bank to open. At half ten that morning, I'd collected my money and I was on a bus to Gatwick.

"_Hello?_"

"It's me again. I'm at Gatwick."

"_Right. Wait for Dojo in Gate 21._" Another click. Who was this Dojo? Someone from the temple, no doubt. I walked slowly in the direction of Gate 21, wondering how I'd recognise Dojo.

"Hey! Hey, kid! You with the red hair!" I looked around – it had to be me. No one else had red hair. But no one was looking at me.

"Down here!" I looked down at my feet. The dragon that had accompanied Master Fung was standing by my feet, grinning up at me.

"Come on, we don't want to keep the others waiting!" he said, and led me back out of the airport. Only then did I realise what he meant.

"Others?" He walked – well, more slithered – over to three other people. One looked like a cowboy – probably Texan – with a lasso swinging above his head. One was tall and athletic, kicking a football about while he waited. The third was a smaller girl, Asian. Japanese, possibly. She was sat down on a bench, holding something in her hands. I saw the words on the top – 'Tohomiko Electronics'. The dragon cleared his throat and they looked up.

"How many more stops are we going to make, Dojo?" asked the boy with the football.

"Just one more," said Dojo. I jumped back as he grew to a size much larger than normal. The other three seemed fine with it. We climbed on and flew into the sky.

"Hi," I said to the others. I was behind the girl, and in front of the two boys. "I'm Joe."

"I'm Raimundo," said one of the boys, and held out a hand.

"I'm Clay," said the cowboy.

"I'm Kimiko," said the girl, and smiled. I smiled back.

"Here we are – last stop," said Dojo, as we touched down in France. "Wait here – I'll be right back." I slumped against a wall, watching as the others got their things out again – Clay's lasso, Raimundo's football, Kimiko's PDA. I had nothing. After a few minutes, Dojo came back, a girl running behind him. He super sized again. The new girl looked surprised.

"You get used to it," said Kimiko, before we all climbed on.

We made our introductions.

"It's nice to meet you all," said the girl. "I'm Reinette. I was born in England, then moved to France soon after. I never picked up the accent, though." Kimiko and Reinette started chatting, and so did Raimundo and Clay. I sat in silence. The memory of the fire played across my eyes.

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... R&R!


	6. Join the Fight

There's gonna be a lot of switching between Silas and Joe, so I'll make it easy and pu their names.

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Silas

"Manas!" I shouted. It was rude to barge into someone else's cave. After a while, Manas walked out.

"What?" he snapped. "You interrupted my meditation."

"Sorry, but… something weird happened." I let Thimba tell him what happened. Manas nodded.

"I see. Thimba, hold out your hand." He did as he was told, as Manas suddenly broke a branch from a tree and slashed Thimba's hand. The boy cried out.

"Now heal it." Thimba closed his eyes, blinking back the pain. He tensed slightly. And the wound began to heal. Close up. Then it was gone.

"You're powers are limited," said Manas. "For now, you can only heal yourself. But when you reach the next level, it will extend to others. But first…" He took a horn from his belt and blew. A sound came out, both loud and soft at once, both sharp and flat, and yet perfect. He noticed me staring at it.

"Like it?" He smiled. "My father made it. Many years ago. So long…" I opened my mouth to ask a question, then thought better of it. Thimba didn't.

"How old are you?" he asked. Manas laughed at the question.

"I don't really know, to tell the truth," he said. "Somewhere around five hundred." I gasped. Five hundred years old? Then Kasim appeared from behind a tree, then Brisa and Nalina.

"Thimba," said Manas. It was lighter, and we were standing outside. Me, Brisa, Nalina and Kasim were in a sort of circle, with Manas and Thimba in the centre.

"Do you swear your loyalty to the Xiaolin?"

"Yes."

"Do you swear you will help us in our fight against Death?"

"Yes."

"Do you swear to do what is best for the team?"

"Yes."

"Then you are a warrior. Wear your robes with pride." He held out a hand, a red object on top. Thimba put them on. It was a red robe, with a sash around the middle. Kasim, Brisa and Nalina walked towards him. Manas put his hand on Thimba's head, and then Kasim put his hand on Manas, then Brisa, then Nalina. Their hands glowed, and the glow went down, and Thimba was too bright to look at, like the sun on earth. Then the glow vanished, and the five stood there. A team.

"And soon you will join too, Silas," said Brisa. Could she read my mind? She just laughed gently. Nalina lead Thimba into the cave. He was ready for training.

Joe

"Greetings," said Master Fung. "I am pleased you all chose to join the temple."

"I didn't have a choice," I muttered. Master Fung either didn't hear it, or ignored it.

"This is Omi," he said, introducing a small boy. "Omi, this is Clay, Raimundo, Kimiko, Reinette and Joe." Omi bowed to us.

"I will show you to your sleeping quarters."

Over the next few years, we fought Wuya, Jack, Chase, Theo and Hannibal, collected a heck of a lot of Shen Gon Wu and discovered our powers – Omi water, Clay earth, Raimundo wind, Kimiko fire, me thunder, Reinette a healer. Then we were sucked into a parallel universe when Omi changed the past. But after winning a great showdown against the Heylin side, Omi and Omi met themselves, destroying that universe and sending us back to our own universe. Raimundo rose to the next level – Shoko Warrior – and became our leader.


	7. Elemental Animals

Now the story continues from the end of series 3...

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Joe

An explosion. Then six of us ran out, finding an army of evil outside. Everyone we'd ever fought. Mala Mala Jong, Lè Mime, Pandabubba and two of his bodyguards, Katnappé, Chameleon Bot, Gigi, Vlad, Cyclops, Tubbimura, Ying-Ying Bird, Jack, Chase Young, Wuya, and Hannibal Bean.

"Now that you have risen to the rank of Shoko Warrior, the fate of the world is in your hands," said Master Fung as Raimundo tossed his bandage away.

"Not too much pressure there," chuckled Dojo. The six of us ran towards the approaching army, ready for battle. The army advanced.

"Wudai Mars, Fire!"

"Wudai Neptune, Water!"

"Wudai Crater, Earth!"

"Wudai Soul, Thunder!"

"Wudai Life!" The last attack was Reinette, her healing attack. I felt strength building up inside me, and knew the others were feeling that too. My power was increased slightly. We split into groups – Kimiko was fighting Wuya and Lè Mime, Omi was fighting Hannibal and the Chameleon Bot, Clay was fighting Tubbimura, Vlad and Cyclopes, and me and Reinette were back-to-back fighting Mala Mala Jong, Katnappé, Jack and Chase. Raimundo was fighting Pandabubba and his two bodyguards, and Gigi. All of us but Reinette had our elements on our side, but she had to stick to martial arts. To tell the truth, she did very well. While trying to block a blast from the Star Hanabi from Mala Mala Jong and a kick from Chase, I saw her throw Jack into a tree. I ducked, and Chase sent the Star Hanabi's power away from him. It hit Mala Mala Jong, blowing it into Wu. I grabbed one and aimed.

"Orb of Tornami!" Katnappé was knocked back. Reinette gave me a thumbs up before going to help Clay.

"Kasuzu Atom!" shouted Pandabubba.

"Reversing Mirror!" cried Kimiko, diving in front of Raimundo holding the Shen Gon Wu. The ground exploded at Pandabubba's feet, and he dropped the Kasuzu Atom.

"Mantis Kick!" shouted Chase. Raimundo flipped in mid-air and landed face-down. He didn't move.

"Reinette!" cried Kimiko. "Help him!" Reinette delivered an impressive scissor kick to Vlad before running over. A blast of black energy from Cyclopes stopped her, and the Chameleon Bot grabbed her, pinning her arms to her sides. Clay moved to help, but Tubbimura grabbed him and pushed him against a tree. Wuya caught Omi in an energy bubble, and Katnappé grabbed Kimiko from behind. I felt steel against my throat.

"It seems the Xiaolin Warriors are no match for evil," chuckled Chase, pushing the blade into my neck. I felt warm blood trickle down. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Reinette, struggling against the Chameleon Bot, muttering something.

"And now," said Chase. "Is the end." As I felt the dagger sink into my throat, a cry came to my ears.

"Shoko Power, Wind!" Then I was gone.

Silas

"Do you, Silas, swear your loyalty to the Xiaolin?" said Manas. Just a week after Thimba, I was joining too, with the power of thunder.

"Yes."

"Do you swear you will help us in our fight against Death?"

"Yes."

"Do you swear to do what is best for the team?"

"Yes."

"Then you are a warrior. Wear your robes with pride." He handed me my robes, and I put them on.

We spent the next few years honing our skills – starting with focus. An hour of meditation in the morning, an hour in the afternoon, two hours every night… Then we had three hours of martial arts, spread through the day – sometimes with Manas, sometimes Brisa, sometimes Nalina, sometimes Kasim. Often me and Thimba fought each other, finding our weaknesses. One day, after a long fight with Thimba, Manas told us more about themselves.

"We're all Xiaolin, but we've got a special… animal, you could say, to match our personality. I'm the wisest, and my symbol is the tortoise. Brisa, flowing free, is the phoenix. Kasim has a strong temper, and is represented by the dragon. And Nalina is mystical – her animal is the unicorn, one of the most mysterious creatures to walk the earth." He looked at us.

"Maybe you will discover your animal one day," he said.

"What do you think your animal would be?" asked Thimba later. "I bet mine would be a lion, because I'm a skilled hunter."

"Mine would be an eagle," I decided. "No restrictions. What I've always wanted to be." As I spoke, an eagle flew overhead. I looked at it and laughed. And I could swear it laughed back.

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R&R please!


	8. Dreams of Death

To my knowledge, this chapter switches around the most between the two characters.

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Joe 

"_He's coming!" shouted Kimiko. I looked around – nothing but darkness._

"_Who?" I shouted. But she'd disappeared._

"_He's coming!" shouted Omi, running past. I grabbed him._

"_WHO'S COMING!" I shouted. Omi's expression was one of pure terror._

"_Death!" And he fell, an arrow through his heart._

Silas

"You're ready for the next level," said Manas, smiling at me. "The two of you will become Wudai Warriors." He waved a hand, and our sashes turned blue.

"Now, perform the Wudai Ursa Attack," he said. "Become one with the bear within." And we did.

Joe

"_He's here!" shouted Clay. "Death's here!" He held up a hand to me. His veins turned bright green, and he collapsed on the spot. Dead._

Silas

It was Winter when I first met Death. Snow had fallen, leaving a white cover over the land. The sun blazed in the sky, blinding in brightness, and reflecting off the snow. I trudged through, leaving a pathway behind me. A figure dropped down from a tree, blocking my way.

"You're going the wrong way," it said. I shook my head.

"No, I'm not."

"You're going the wrong way."

"No I'm not!"

"You're going the wrong way."

"You don't even know where I'm going!"

"You're going the wrong way."

"The wrong way to where? Where am I going that's wrong?"

"Hell." I was taken aback. The figure suddenly jumped out of the snow – no, _flew_. He flew up, and the trees burnt. The snow melted. I staggered back, tripping on a rock. Landing in a pile of wet sludge that had once been snow. The figure flew down towards me, coated in metal. Spikes in its shoulders, arms, hands… I couldn't move. Then someone ran out of the bushes. I saw a flash, and the first figure was gone.

"You're lucky to be alive," said Kasim grimly, helping me to my feet. "Not many survive an encounter with Death."

Joe

"_Joe!" shouted Raimundo. "Run! He's here, he's going to kill us!" A rope pulled him away, and he went silent._

"_Raimundo?" I called, walking forwards. I saw a dark shape and a knife went into my chest. Then the figure was gone. Reinette knelt beside me, and put her hands over my wound. It closed, the blood flow stopped._

I opened my eyes. I was in the Medical Room of the temple. I felt a slight pressure on my chest, which quickly disappeared. Reinette was sitting on a chair by the bed, looking a bit guilty, and I could see Raimundo and Kimiko training outside.

"Oh!" said Reinette. "You're awake!" She smiled and stood up.

"How long have I been here?" I asked, sitting up. I noticed that my wound was healed. Obviously, with Reinette around.

"A few days, I think," she said. "We were all in a pretty bad state after the battle, but you were worst – we could barely find your pulse." The others had noticed I was awake and had come in.

"What happened then?" I asked.

"Well, Reinette healed me and I used my new Shoko attack," began Raimundo. "I knocked Chase off his feet, but the dagger went deep and we thought you were dead."

"After Rai found his power," continued Kimiko. "We managed to beat Chase's army, with Reinette trying to heal you. It wasn't until about ten minutes later she actually knew you were alive."

"Then we brought you back to the temple for three days and now you've woken up," finished Reinette. "I'm glad you're okay." She kissed me on the cheek. "How are you then?" I thought for a moment, but decided not to mention Death.

"I'm fine." I stood up and we walked outside.

"Ah, Joe!" called Omi. "I am most pleased that you are feeling top-tip!"

"Tip-top," said me and Raimundo together, then we both laughed.

"The time for laughter is over!" I spun around, looking for the source of that voice. I could see no one. The other five looked as confused as I felt.

"You will have no need for laughter from now on. You would not enjoy Hell. No one does. Only me. So I shall bring Hell to Earth. And Death shall rule supreme!" The sound of laughter echoed through the temple grounds, slowly dying down until there was silence.

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It's the bad guy! Twice! R&R!


	9. Good and Evil

A bit of fact-finding coming up...

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Silas

"Tell me everything you know about Death," I said, standing in front of Manas. He frowned and stood up.

"Fine. I will tell you. As I have said, he has the powers of darkness, of shapeshifting, of telekinetics, and he goes against all that is good. He feeds of pain, death and destruction. He has armies of darkness. He is the ruler of the dead, the King of Hell. His presence is felt by all, understood by few. He kills for fun, for sport. He kills out of boredom. He considers a day wasted unless he wipes out at least one family. He is an immortal, and can only be killed by another immortal. Currently, there are only five known immortals – him, Kasim, Brisa, Nalina and myself. He can be wounded by mortals, but never killed. He wages a constant battle with The Creator."

"Isn't The Creator immortal?" I asked, confused.

"The Creator is not mortal or immortal – The Creator just is. The Creator has no gender, and represents all aspects of the world – balance, power, knowledge, sight, sound… all aspects except death. That is left to Death himself. The two used to work side by side, with Death as The Creator's partner, the two controlling the world. But as Time went on, they grew apart. If you can call it Time, when dealing with such power." He leant closer and his voice dropped to a whisper. "They say the man who understands Time will become all-powerful. They say The Creator and Death were two who understood it."

Joe

"It is time for your daily training," said Master Fung, walking into the dormitories. Raimundo, Omi and Clay were playing cards, Kimiko was on her laptop and I was sitting on Reinette's bed, talking to her while she did her hair. We all turned to look at Master Fung.

"Today you will be pairing up to practice your elements – Omi and Clay, Kimiko and Reinette, and Joe and Raimundo."

"Um… Master Fung?" said Reinette. "I don't have an element."

"You, Reinette, will be testing your reflexes in the face of fire, with the power to heal any wounds you receive." We went out and began. Clay seemed to be using his element to just block Omi's attacks, and Reinette was avoiding all of Kimiko's flames.

"Let's go, then," said Raimundo, and summoned gusts of wind. I thought I saw a shadow on his face, but it disappeared suddenly. I ignored it and brought lighting to my hands.

After a few minutes, Raimundo had used his Shoko power to hold me against the main temple wall. He began walking towards me, the pressure of the wind increasing as he got nearer.

"Goodbye, Thunder," he hissed, and I felt the air begin to crush my lungs…

Raimundo fell to the floor and lay still. Reinette still had her fist where his head had been. I breathed deeply.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Kimiko, looking down at Raimundo.

"I dunno, but he suddenly tried to kill me!" I growled angrily.

"_They say the man who understands Time will become all-powerful…"_

"What?" I said.

"I didn't say anything," said Kimiko, and Reinette agreed. Clay picked up Raimundo and dragged him into the temple. I followed. Then a moment later I felt Kimiko's arms around my neck and she pulled me onto the floor, trying to strange me. Reinette and Omi pulled her off and she struggled. Reinette kicked her and she went limp.

"Is she okay?" I asked. The kick had hit her hard in the stomach.

"She's just unconscious," replied Reinette. "But she won't be okay when she wakes up!"

"Do you think this is a coincidence?" I asked. "Both Raimundo and Kimiko have just gone crazy and attacked me."

"But why?" asked Reinette. I didn't have an answer.

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More near death experiences. I need a new style.


	10. Death

Joe 

About half an hour later, Raimundo woke up, and found himself tied to a chair. We stood watching him.

"Hey guys? Little help?"

"Okay, Rai," started Reinette. "We need to talk, and we can't trust you right now. So, can you…"

"Was it jealousy?" asked Omi suddenly. "Did you think with Joe out the way, you would become only 5th best Xiaolin Dragon?"

"Omi, I'm a Shoko Warrior, you git! And what the hell are you on about?"

"I think you know what we mean," said Reinette. She frowned. "Don't you?"

"NO!" shouted Raimundo angrily. "All I know is it's something to do with him!" He nodded towards me, his hands being tied behind his back.

"Hey!" said Kimiko, waking up. "Why am I tied to a chair?"

"Kimiko, what happened during training today?" asked Reinette before Omi could speak.

"Well, me and you were fighting, then we saw that Rai was crushing Joe into a wall. He wouldn't stop, so you knocked him out. Then I woke up here."

"Raimundo, what's your version?"

"Me and Joe were training, and I used my wind powers to throw him into a wall. Then I woke up here."

"So both versions omit their own attacks," muttered Clay.

"When we started training," I said, speaking for the first time. "I thought I saw some kind of shadow on his face which disappeared suddenly. And we haven't seen Theo for a while." Theo, of course, was my evil brother.

"You think he was possessed?" asked Reinette.

"It's possible. Though it does mean Theo's getting a lot more violent."

"Poor naive fools!" The voice was back. I looked around, but I could still see no sign of its source.

"You're so close, yet so far away from the answer. I possessed them!"

"_Not many survive an encounter with Death…"_

"And my army is growing as we speak. Soon, Hell will be here, and Death will have the chance to defeat The Creator once and for all!"

"_You're going the wrong way…"_

"So long, Dragons!"

"_He has no name. But he's known as Death…"_

"_He has the powers of darkness, of shapeshifting, of telekinetics… he goes against all that is good. He feeds of pain, death and destruction. He has armies of darkness."_

"What the hell?" There were more voices than one, then. The first, from what I had heard, might be this mysterious Death. The others, I didn't know. Some voices, not the one talking to us, sounded distant, like they were being heard over a long distance. A man, a younger Death, and another man. Their speech was rough, as if they had to live off what they could find around them, they… I broke my train of thought.

"Not a long distance!" I cried. "Time! What was that first one… the man who understands Time will become all powerful. So someone who understands it is sending this stuff to me, for some reason. Or maybe they're from the future, and me hearing this causes me to help them understand Time, which will then have a great impact on the future of our world!" I noticed both that the other five staring at me like I was mad, and that Kimiko was free and Reinette was untying Raimundo. Of course, I looked mad. I'd just suddenly started shouting about Time. But now I knew Time was the key.

Silas

"Anyone home?" came a voice, echoing through my cave. I walked out into the sunshine and faced the person in front of me.

"Hi," I said.

"Can you help a poor old man?"

"Well, maybe. What do you need?"

"_Souls… an army of souls…_" The words were hissed out. I jumped back in alarm as the cloak slipped to the ground, leaving a humanoid shadow. It raised a hand and the earth beneath my feet crumbled. I moved away from the hole, but couldn't draw my eyes away. I saw fire, lots of fire. White shapes moved around, now they were grey, and looked like people. I saw creatures I couldn't imagine, even in my worst nightmares. As I stared, I felt myself being brought forward, into the Mouth of Hell, into the Arms of Death.

"_And now you are mine…_" That brought me back to my senses. I scrambled away and the hole closed up. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then I felt the Earth explode.


	11. Echoes of the Future

Silas 

_I opened my eyes. I was still on Earth, but it wasn't anywhere I knew. There was a wall in front of me. Then I heard a noise behind me. Death was here too. I stumbled down the hill and leapt over the wall, falling to the ground on the other side. There were lots of structures here, and six people were fighting. And the weird thing was, it was like a parallel Earth – one person was controlling earth, another water, another fire, one girl wasn't using an element – possibly the healer. The other two were behind me. As I thought – one wind, one lightning. I saw Death again, transforming into a shadow and possessing the wind boy. He used powerful techniques and seemed to be crushing the other boy into the wall. The other four tried to get his attention, and one of the girls punched him, hard. He fell to the ground. Then the scene blurred, and I saw a bright light ahead. I was moving towards it. It was so close. I could reach out and touch it…_

_I hit the ground. I was back at the place I'd just seen. Except it was different. The structures were burnt, crumbling. I walked through the ruins. There were bodies. Men, a dragon. A girl. The three boys. I turned a corner and saw the red-haired boy, with the other girl. They were running._

"_Come on, Reinette!" said the boy. He nearly ran into me._

"_What's going on?" I shouted._

"_Death! He attacked the temple! He killed everyone!" screamed the girl – Reinette, I assumed._

"_Death?" My mouth went dry. Behind the two of them, there was a creature like I'd never seen before. It was blood red, like the first monster I had encountered. But this one was seven feet tall, and had long claws. Its eyes were black. But then it looked at Reinette, and she fell. Dead. The boy screamed and knelt next to her, holding her wrist. The creature was almost on him. It locked eyes with him, and he screamed in pain. I screamed too, for the pain was in my body. Then everything was gone._

Joe

"Death? I think I've heard of him, yeah," said Dojo, and scratched his chin. "He's some kind of leader."

"Of an army of darkness?" I asked – half hoping I was right, to know I wasn't mad, half hoping I was wrong. Chase was bad enough.

"Yeah, that sounds familiar. I'll check the scrolls." He slithered into the scroll room and I heard him searching. I wandered outside. The moon shone down on the temple. I saw a figure in a tree. I climbed up and sat on the branch beside it.

"Hi Reinette," I said. She looked at me in surprise.

"Oh, hi. I didn't hear you come up." She looked out of the temple, over the hills.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Just thinking," she said. "About this afternoon. With Rai and Kim."

"And Death," I added quietly. "And Time."

"Death and Time…" she muttered. "And there was something else, didn't you say?"

"The Creator."

"So what do we know, then?" she asked, and turned to face me again.

"Right. Both Kim and Raimundo were possessed by this… Death, apparently. I've been hearing voices that I think are from the past, being sent to me by someone who controls Time. And I've found out that Death is trying to move Hell to Earth and is fighting The Creator. It's like a God and Satan set-up."

"Remember, though, if this is from the past, the fight could be over."

"But if Death is here, he must have won. So why hasn't he taken over?" She didn't have an answer.

_I was in the temple. Reinette ran into my room, and pulled me to my feet._

"_Joe, it's Death! He's taken over the temple, and the others are trying to hold him off, but only the six of us are left." I followed her out as Omi screamed. We found him dead. Some sort of creature was attacking the others, blocking their attacks. Kimiko threw a ball of fire, and the creature caught it and threw it back. Kimiko was able to stand the heat, but the force threw her into a wall and it collapsed on top of her. Reinette began digging, hoping she was still alive._

"_Help Raimundo!" she shouted. Even as she spoke, I saw Clay fall as well. Raimundo was now fighting solo. I ran to help, shooting lighting. Death seemed surprised at this, and stepped back. Raimundo leapt forward to finish him off. There was a bright flash and Raimundo fell back on top of me. Now it was just me and Reinette left. Raimundo's body was lifted off and I saw the creature drop it into its mouth. I struggled to my feet and pulled Reinette away. I knew as we ran that the others were being eaten. We turned a corner and I nearly ran into a boy, about my age, with brown hair and a spear in one hand. He seemed to be wearing a Xiaolin robe with a Wudai sash. Maybe he was sending me the voices._

"_What's going on?" he shouted._

"_Death! He attacked the temple! He killed everyone!" screamed Reinette._

_"Death?" The boy paused and stared behind us. Death was here. It looked at Reinette, and she fell. Dead. I screamed and knelt next to her, holding her wrist, trying to find a pulse. She couldn't be dead, she couldn't. The creature was almost on me. It locked eyes with me, and I screamed in pain. I was dying. The other boy screamed too, as if the pain was in his body. That was all I knew. My whole life was gone. Friends, family, teachers… love… gone…_


	12. Trapped in Hell

Joe 

I sat up in my bed and screamed. After a moment Reinette and Raimundo ran in. I could see the others outside my room.

"Joe, are you okay?" asked Reinette. She ran her hands over me, searching for an injury. I opened my mouth but couldn't speak. Raimundo frowned and looked at me.

"Death…" The words escaped my lips. Reinette gasped and Raimundo's eyes widened.

"So the scrolls were right…" whispered Reinette. "I looked earlier, when Dojo couldn't find anything. I found a scroll, buried right at the bottom – one of the oldest. It was a legend, apparently, about Death. It said he was an immortal, and had four brothers and sisters, also immortals. He was the black sheep of his family. He dedicated his whole life to knowledge, eventually becoming equal to 'The Creator', a being thought to be God. After many years Death became King of Hell, and raised the dead to fight his siblings. No one knows what happened in the battle, but two things are known – The Creator fought, and Death survived. He has many powers, but the only one we didn't already know is that he can control Time." This made sense. I told them about my dream.

"So, if he controls Time," I finished. "Maybe he was showing me the future."

"That boy, with the spear," said Raimundo. "Who was he?"

"I don't know, but I think… I think he's Prehistoric."

"And he was wearing a Xiaolin robe with a Wudai sash…" muttered Raimundo. "How old are the Xiaolin Dragons, Dojo?" The dragon had come in during the story.

"I don't know. Very old though – my grandpa claimed that his great great great great great… great… grandpa was the first dragon to work for a New Age Dragon. And then before the New Age Dragons, there were the Fighting Dragons, the Flaming Dragons, the Shinnula Dragons, the Kodac Dragons, the Microsoft Dragons…"

"Err, are you sure about those last few?" I asked. "Kodac and Microsoft?"

"Oh yeah, you're right, there was the Axon Dragons in between! Then the Shoka Dragons, the Lekad Dragons, the Zygo Dragons, the Traken Dragons, the Pedalo Dragons…"

"So it's possible that the concept of Dragons went back to Prehistoric times, then?" said Raimundo.

"Yes, it's possible," replied Dojo.

"Young monks," said Master Fung, walking into the dormitories. "It is time to sleep."

Silas

_I was in Hell. This had to be a dream. I pinched myself on the arm and it faded. I was waking up. _I was in Hell. I pinched myself again. I was still in Hell. But I was myself. How? I'd been told only your soul could go to Heaven or Hell, while your body stayed on Earth. What had happened before I got here? The temple… not real. A dream. The encounter with Death. That had to be it. The ground had opened up. I'd fallen. I'd felt my soul being ripped out. And I'd touched Death. My soul had stayed. That was it – the Touch of Death. But now I was in Hell. I heard a growl behind me. A giant dog with three heads, with serpents for a tail, stood over me, saliva dripping into the earth. I stumbled back as it moved its head forward. It sniffed me. Then it howled and jumped at me. I turned and ran. I reached an edge, and skidded to a halt. Small stones tumbled into the lava, and I heard a hiss as they dissolved in the lava. The dog was still bounding towards me. It opened its mouth, revealing a snake for a tongue. The snake smelt the air and hissed angrily. I had two choices – wait for the dog, or jump. I took a breath and stepped backwards, catching the ledge as I fell. The dog, too late, realised, and tried to stop, but plunged over the edge. I heard a loud splash. I scrambled back up, narrowly avoiding the fire that shot into the air. I thought I was safe. I was wrong.

For a while I wandered, hoping to find a way out. To my surprise, I found no more creatures for a while. Eventually, I sat down and started thinking.

"_No-one knows what happened in the battle, but two things are known – The Creator fought, and Death survived…" _I looked up in surprise. The words had just appeared in my mind. And the strange thing was, the voice sounded like the girl from my dream – Reinette, she was called.

"What's going on here?" I muttered. The rock I was sitting on broke off, and plunged into the lava. The flow pulled me away from the shore, or whatever it was called down here. And as I judged the distance, and wondered if I could jump, I heard a familiar sound. The sound of a water – or rather, lavafall. And I was headed straight towards it. I closed my eyes as I felt the rock go over the edge. Then I was falling.


End file.
